1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the storing and inventory control of surgical supplies. More particularly, the present invention relates to the storage of surgical sutures, and a system for the storage of suture packages in shelved racks which are fully adjustable for the maintenance of tight inventory control.
2. General Background
Over the past years, the numbers of different type of sutures has increased tremendously. Factors contributing to this increase are new materials, better manufacturing techniques, and more specialization. The greatest contributing factor, however, was the introduction of the "atramatic" suture or a suture with a needle attached. For each type of suture there is now a full range of sizes (diameters and strengths), lengths and needles. These needles are divided in several general types and for each type there are different sizes.
In many large hospitals, well over several hundred types of lengths and sizes of suture are stored in numbers of several boxes per type. This represents in many cases the single greatest expense that a surgery department has, and, naturally is the area needing greatest inventory control.
There are, however, several problems with the control of sutures. The first is that sutures are bulky and expensive, making buying in quantities inpractical. Thus it is very important to maintain enough sutures so that the supply is not depleted, but not so much that in an inordinate amount of space for storage is needed.
The second problem is that suture storage is messy. That is, boxes which contain the sutures do not stack well, and removing one box often results in two or three other types falling over and getting mixed up. A further problem is that sutures must be rotated. Each time a shipment arrives, the remaining sutures must be removed from the shelves, the new shipment placed in the back, and the existing stock placed in the front. This process is further complicated by the aforementioned problem of different types of sutures getting mixed. Rotation of sutures, although important, is often overlooked.
The fourth problem is that sutures are usually stored on open shelves or carts and collect dust. This is an extremely bad technique with any sterile supply in a "clean area". Also sutures must therefore be removed from the shelves for periodic cleaning and then restocked.
Another problem is that a suture must be maintained in a logical order (just as books in a library) for ease of location and inventory. As is usually the case, suture is arranged in some order initially, and no space is provided for additions. Consequently, when a new size or type arrives, it is often placed in some "convenient place" which has nothing to do with any original established order.
The aforementioned problems are compounded over the years, and with an inadequate storage system, hours can be wasted locating a particular suture package in the existing stock. A further problem is that the volume of a certain type of suture used changes constantly. As new products are introduced, old ones are no longer used. Doctors and procedures change resulting in the obsolescence of some sutures. There are usually no provisions for locating or returning to the manufacturer (for full credit) unused suture supplies. Overstocking and dead inventory tie up money as well as space. A further pitfall of dead inventory consists of those supplies which are received in error. Many times, these mistakes are not corrected immediately. The more time that lapses, the more likely that the suture will not be returned, resulting in financial losses. As previously mentioned, sutures must be restocked to prevent a shortage. Yet adjustments must be made as usage volume changes. This is complicated by the fact that distributors usually maintain poor inventories themselves and backorders become the rule rather than the exception. It is not uncommon in the hospital industry to have 20 separate shipments on the same order. To maintain an adequate inventory of sutures, the stock must be counted no less than once a week. Records must be kept of quantities orders, quantities maintained, quantities used, dates ordered, dates received and numbers received.
In summary, sutures are an expensive, widely diverse surgical supply. Its very nature requires close control for both economic and medical reasons. Neglect in its control results in loss of time, loss of money and loss of proper medical sterility standards.
3. Prior Patents
Several types of storage systems have been patented which provide dispensing containers for use with various products. A summary of these prior patents is listed in the following table:
______________________________________ PRIOR PATENTS Patent No. Inventors Issue Date ______________________________________ 1,156,140 B. M. Hair 10/12/15 1,464,343 S. M. Scherer 8/7/23 1,734,031 W. C. Carlson 11/5/29 1,980,819 F. R. Nelson 11/13/34 3,744,866 Robert L. Cook 7/10/73 ______________________________________
4. General Discussion of the Present Invention
The present invention eliminates all the prior art problems and shortcomings in a simple and inexpensive manner. The present invention permits the storage and inventory control of large numbers and diverse types of suture packages. The suture dispensing system of the present invention provides a series of portable adjustable dispenser boxes. Each box is capable of holding a plurality of individual suture packages. Inside dimensions of each dispenser box is designed to accommodate stacks of individual boxes of sutures. Each dispenser box is provided with adjustable shelves slideably mountable in several slotted supports. The dispenser box is preferably rectangular and elongated, and vertically oriented. Front transparent panels have slots for the entry and removal of individual suture packages. The distance between entry and removal slots can be varied as necessary to accomodate different quantities of one type of suture. The adjustable shelves can be mounted to correspond to the entry and exit openings in the transparent front end. It is possible to maintain inventory records on the front transparent panels in an orderly manner. Individual dispenser boxes can be slideably mounted on a wall rack, allowing boxes to be removed and relocated as necessary.